All That Jazz
by New Decade
Summary: No favors, no return was all she said. She should have known he wouldn't have accepted. Post 9.06.
1. Chapter 1

The twist in the case today had been so unexpected; no one on the team would have ever guest of Courtney's pregnancy had Ryan not spotted the tape at that one particular point. He had clearly caught on to the situation instantly; Walter didn't catch on so quickly, he had referred to her protective demeanor as a "stomachache." But Ryan knew he was wrong, he had his theory, a theory Calleigh happened to agree with. How could Calleigh not recognize the look on the TV show when she had seen it in herself recently? Always at work Calleigh would try to be as subtle as could be about her newly found pregnancy, knowing she'd only be able to conceal it for a limited time.

For now, she was handling keeping it a secret from her friends, especially one very close friend. Calleigh was practically living on Saltines, water and bread in order to degrade the vomiting that came with her morning sickness. But she knew no amount of crackers would be able to hide anything in a few months, especially with people as inquisitive as her fellow CSIs, she was certain she'd only be able to conceal the pregnancy another month, maybe two if she got lucky.

She knew the team finding out was an inevitable event, but she wasn't worried about the team finding out; she was worried about a single member of the team finding out. Eric would know that the child was his, Calleigh had known this truth since she saw that positive test and then the doctor verified the following day. She had gone over the facts and numerous details time and time again in her head. Calleigh had done the math and matched it up with the information that her doctor had given her, she couldn't tell Eric the child belonged to someone else if she wanted to. If the due date was accurate and she was as far along as the doctor had said, then she was certain had been with Eric around the time the baby was conceived. Who else could she have been with, she didn't want to be with anyone else, save for him.

Calleigh was normally too logical to believe in mystical signs being sent to her, rounding most off as coincidence, but this case and Courtney's pregnancy coming along at _this _moment in time was a coincidence that she felt couldn't be ignored. She needed to tell Eric; he deserved to know about this, despite the fact they had gone their separate ways since the conceiving of their child.

_Their child._

The words still sounded strange and may have been easier to comprehend had they still been together, living as one under the same roof. Calleigh knew the factors of shock, fear and a mild excitement that would be overshadowed by her uncertainty of her maternal instincts would still remain even if she and Eric were together, but they were now significantly elevated. Originally, she thought if she ever found herself in the situation her biggest worry would be how she would cope with the newfound responsibility of a child and how to be a mother when she had never truly witnessed a good mothers actions. The problems and concerns had now steered to something past her demons she could have worked through in support and time, now she was faced with the challenges greater than life; there was no greater challenge than creating one.

"Hey, Calleigh," Eric greeted her as he loaded the elevator the same time she did.

She put on a faux smile, hoping it would come across as cheerful when truly it was painstaking to be so close to him. She wanted, she _needed _to tell him, but she just didn't know how.

"Are you okay?" Eric asked, having noticed her smile, which turned out as more of a grimace.

"Yeah," Calleigh nodded as the elevator slowly declined to the floor that was the locker room. "I've just been thinking."

"About what?" Eric questioned, concerned.

"How about we didn't lose one person today, we lost two," Calleigh sighed, gradually leaning into the conversation and her nerves starting to intensify.

Eric nodded, sadly, in agreement.

"I know, it's awful," Eric breathed, looking at how Calleigh had her hands folded in front of her and it was becoming apparent to him that this case wasn't the only thing on her mind.

"It kind of got me thinking about certain things that are going on right now," she admitted as the elevator doors slid apart before them. "Things that are going on with me…that you should know about."

Eric froze, he hadn't expected Calleigh to say that. Normally, she was very closed about her problems and someone would have to practically pry her open with a crowbar to get her to tell a miniscule amount of information any trouble she was having. But now Calleigh was opting to tell him something and she was being more open than the Calleigh he was used to, he wasn't sure if this should cause him worry or if he should like at it as he simply knowing she could come to him.

"What's on your mind, Cal?" he asked as they opened to door to the locker room.

Calleigh looked around the empty locker room, securing their privacy, before taking Eric's hand and pulling him to sit beside her on the bench along the wall. Eric's heart fluttered a bit at her touch, something he hadn't felt in weeks, and she surprised him even more when she didn't release his hand after they had taken a seat.

"I should have told you this when I first suspected and I'm sorry for that. But I need you to promise me something before I do," Calleigh sighed.

"And what's that?" Eric asked, his thumb gently brushing against the back of her hand.

"That you won't do me any favors, that you won't feel you need to fix anything we have just because I'm pregnant," Calleigh blurted the last part out unthinkingly, giving him the news before he had promised anything.

Eric's thumb froze on the back of her hand; the whole world became surreal. Calleigh was pregnant? With his baby?

In many aspects this was a dream come true, for years he had dreamed of himself and Calleigh creating a family together. But this wasn't the happy family he had pictured, not by a long shot. The two weren't married, they weren't even together anymore and she didn't want him "doing her any favors."

Within five minutes, his world became like the ocean, a place he knew a thing or two about. The ocean with it's mural of coral, shells and colorful fish was beautiful and, for many, was something worth witnessing, just as his dream of seeing himself and Calleigh with a child had been. But the ocean also held sharks, rays and other dangerous shadows that could make the once amazing sight nothing more than dangerous. With the two of them separated at a baby in their midst, they were treading very dangerous waters.

* * *

There will be a second chapter! Repeat! There will be a second chapter! Maybe even a third!

I tried to edit, but daylight savings has thrown me off my game and I'm so I apologize for any mistakes. And was it just my area that CBS ran late on and skipped Miami or was I just lucky? Thank the Lord for the Internet.

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the reviews and I promise the chapter is longer and has more drama, angst, etc.

* * *

Calleigh never grasped how comfortable she had become talking to Eric, never had she noticed how wide she had opened towards him in the recent years. Communication was always said to be key when in any situation, but this time it had backfired on her. The words weren't thought through at all, she hadn't planned on delivering the news to him in such a rushed, almost insensitive, way. Calleigh had wanted to look at him and talk to him as something more than a friend, but not quite on the relationship level; she wanted to talk to him as the father of her child. But, as plans usually did around here, slipped away without a chance of rescue and suddenly Calleigh felt nauseated as she waited for Eric to say something.

"You're pregnant," Eric clarified in a whisper.

Calleigh looked at their intertwined hands and nodded.

"How far along are you?" Eric asked.

"The doctor said about eight-and-a-half weeks. She also said we're both healthy," Calleigh promised, knowing that would be Eric's next question.

Eric smiled; he found a light comfort that the baby and Calleigh were fine, at least in the health status, but it was quite clear that Calleigh wasn't close to fine. There was a certain fear in her eyes Eric was a stranger to, an odd phrase for him to say considering he knew most everything about Calleigh by this point.

"How long have you known?" he asked.

"Awhile," Calleigh sighed.

"Calleigh, why didn't you say anything? I would have gone with you to the doctor."

"I know you would have. But that's the problem," she breathed.

Eric's eyebrows knit together in confusion at her statement. Calleigh sighed and closed her eyes, fighting tooth and nail to try to find the words to explain what was rummaging in her mind.

"Eric, I know you want a family and, in some unorthodox way, we are going to be a family. But just because of that doesn't mean all the problems between us are just going to disappear. That's what happens, you know, people get blindsided and get back together and it eventually backfires, like it did with-." Calleigh's voice stopped, her throat becoming too thick to let any sound pass.

"Like it did with your parents," Eric inferred, his voice soft as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Calleigh nodded. "It was very cliché, they were young, in love and drank too much. Then when my mom found out she was pregnant with me, my dad automatically proposed after only a few months together," she recollected. "I've seen what happens when people feel that responsibility and, believe me, it doesn't make anything better. I'm just asking you to not feel the need to be around all the time, just because I'm pregnant."

"Well, Cal, I'm not just going to back off and not do anything. You can't do this by yourself and I want to be there for you and this baby," Eric insisted. He wasn't about to just step down and let this whole this pass him by, especially when he was still deeply in love with the woman he was sitting next to, whose hand he was still holding; the mother of his child. Calleigh, despite how strong she was, didn't need to be going through this alone; he simply wasn't going to let it happen.

Calleigh smiled, however, her eyes held a certain dismay that seemed to make her green eyes darken. She readjusted her fingers around Eric's hand as she took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes, pretending for one second that nothing had ever went wrong with the concept of her and him. She wanted to think he had been there with her through the three antagonizing minutes while the home tests' drew their conclusions and that he had been there when she had her doctor's appointment to verify the pregnancy. Calleigh wanted to believe they were really at her house, hand-in-hand, discussing the fears and excitement they both potentially could have been feeling. But the recent oddity had impacted Calleigh with something more than just the overwhelming shock and fears that she had always known would haunt her had a pregnancy appeared, instead she and Eric were being drawn together to attempt and repair their problems before either of them were ready.

"That's sweet of you," Calleigh grinned. "And, I'm not an idiot, I know that I can't do this all alone and that you want to be apart of the baby's life and I want you to be in his or her life, too. But we haven't really spoken since…since we went our separate ways and the past shouldn't be forgotten. Do you know what I mean?"

He did, but it was still heartbreaking to hear. Calleigh had been, and still was, his everything and their separation didn't change that. They had agreed some time apart would be beneficial to their relationship, considering the turbulence of the recent months, but he had been missing her terribly. For the last few weeks there hadn't been a heart present in his chest cavity to pump blood through him, instead their was an empty hole that managed to keep him alive. But his dream of having a family with Calleigh was dangling in front of him, just not in the way he had hoped it would be; the fantasy became exactly that…a fantasy, when just a few months ago it didn't seem like such a major step. Instead, they were—using the quaint term she had used a few weeks ago—friends, friends that were having a baby together.

"I get it, Calleigh," Eric assured her, shielding the pain in his voice for her sake.

Calleigh smiled, gratefully, but the dimples that normally arose when she was truly happy were absent.

"But I'll call you when my next OB appointment is scheduled. If you wanted to come," she added.

"Of course I do," Eric smiled at her, reassuringly.

Calleigh nodded and stood up, gently pulling her hand out of Eric's as she did.

"I know that this wasn't your ideal way of starting a family and I'm sorry for that," Calleigh sighed, guiltily.

"Calleigh," Eric whispered, getting to his feet. "You don't have to be sorry for anything."

Calleigh looked up in Eric's eyes and saw that he truly wasn't angry, but she detected a flicker of hurt in his eyes; she rather of him been infuriated with her. Calleigh was certain, in the long run, their standing firm about their separation would be profitable to them and their baby, but why did it have to hurt them so much now? She _hated_ knowing the pain she was putting him through, especially when she was wanting the same thing, but her past and responsibility was restraining her from giving into the wants of her heart.

Calleigh sighed and nodded, gently wrapping her arms around Eric in a comforting embrace, which he returned.

"Are you scared?" Eric asked her, his voice gentle and non-interrogating.

Calleigh chuckled, softly.

"To death," she admitted, Eric knowing that Calleigh admitting fear wasn't something that was seen often, if at all. It was apparent to Eric that if she was still able to tell him her fears, knowing he was the only one who she would talk about her fears with, that there was still some bond between them.

"Well, we're in this together," Eric reminded her, Calleigh tried to not read too deeply into the comment and just tried to take it as a friendly promise.

They gradually pulled away from each other, the emptiness of their arms feeling heavy with them, once again, saying goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Calleigh grinned. "And I'll call you."

"Okay," Eric nodded. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah," Calleigh sighed before walking away, turning around the corner towards her locker as Eric let the facts sink in.

The sad truth was, despite the fact they were both to be parents in a few short months, their relationship status wasn't going to change. He could discern Calleigh's logic about not wanting to start their relationship up again because of the baby and could almost agree with her. Were someone to write down all the facts and reasoning the choices would make sense, they would be logical, responsible even. But if it was the right thing to do, why did it feel so wrong?

* * *

Calleigh had been reading the numerous pamphlets her OB had given her when she had gone to the hospital to confirm the pregnancy. All of them saying that stress was a factor that should be avoided during this time, but so far that factor seemed to be like a shadow; a shadow named Eric Delko and she was certain that it was increasing her bouts of vomiting.

For over a week now, Calleigh's stomach seemed to be on a rampage to the extent she could barely hold down anything for more than a few hours and it was effecting everything. Twice now she had had to excuse herself from an interrogation to rush to the restroom and lose the remains of her last meal. To make matters worse, every time she went to the bathroom to vomit, Eric always seemed to be waiting outside the restroom door to see if she was all right.

Calleigh had tried to be flexible about it, knowing telling Eric not to be over protective was about as pointless as telling Horatio to snap his sunglasses in half and trade them in for a pair of Ray Bans; it simply wasn't done. Eric was going to be worried about her and the child she was carrying, but she could only take it for so long. Every few minutes, it felt like, Eric was coming into her Firearms lab to see if she was okay or asking if she needed anything. Had the circumstances been like they had been in the past, she would have rolled her eyes and promised him she was fine, adding a witty and flirtatious remark in the process. Sadly, that wasn't possible anymore and she just simply had to say, "I'm fine" and go about her business.

Today was no different, Eric had been constantly checking in on her, mostly due to the fact she was unable to keep down solids and had been running to vomit all day; Calleigh wanted to knock some sense into the imbecile that called this illness _morning _sickness. The vomiting had yet to cease when she returned home that evening, the only thing positive being that Eric wasn't there to offer the comfort she wasn't ready to accept. Calleigh now relaxed into the supportive cushions of her couch as she sipped some water, the only thing she would be able to keep down, as the evening news reel proceeded in front of her, hardly paying any mind to the major stories or the "funny" comments the newscasters made about certain topics.

Her brief moment of peace and settled stomach was interrupted by knuckles tapping the wood of her front door. Sighing in mild frustration, Calleigh placed her glass of water on a nearby coaster and slowly pulled herself up, moving with care as to not set off another spell of nausea.

Calleigh looked through the peephole of her door and automatically wished she had just stayed on the couch. Eric was on her front step with what appeared to be a Ziploc container filled with some kind of soup; soup while ill, typical cliché.

Reluctantly, Calleigh pulled open her door to come face to face with the man in which she would have, under regular circumstances, have been thrilled to see.

"Eric, I'm fine," Calleigh reassured him before he even had a chance to ask her, before he even had the chance to greet her.

Eric chuckled, the sound of his voice making her smile involuntarily, despite her best efforts to keep a straight face.

"I'm getting predictable, aren't I?" Eric smiled.

"Not really," Calleigh reassured him, leaning against the doorframe. "Okay, maybe a little. But I am fine, I promise, you don't have to check in on me."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay. But I just came by to give you this," Eric said, stretching out his arm to hand her the container.

The plastic had condensation build up on the inside due to the storm and the container itself was warm, telling Calleigh the food within couldn't have been more than half an hour old.

"You didn't have to do that," Calleigh breathed, turning to put the container on a nearby table before turning back to him.

"I just figured you were getting sick of the crackers only diet," Eric shrugged, innocently.

She suspected the comment, as well as this gesture, was supposed to make her feel better, but it was having the opposite effect and she stared at her feet, wanting nothing more than to evaporate into thin air. Calleigh felt Eric's eyes looking at her and she was suddenly very uncomfortable, she could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears and the blood from her face drain; the nausea was returning with vengeance and she wasn't going to escape it.

Without a word to Eric, partly due to her not trusting herself to open her mouth at that moment, she sprinted towards the kitchen sink, knowing that would be as far as she would be able to make it.

Once over the basin of the sink, Calleigh began to vomit as violently as she had that morning. The foul stench and taste combined with her already uneasy stomach and increased the amount of bile she was releasing. When she thought this episode couldn't get any worse, she felt a pair of familiar hands move the strands of hair out of her face. Had her mouth not been preoccupied, she would have protested at his closeness, despite the mild comfort she felt just by him standing there.

At long last the bout of vomiting ended and she was able to breathe again. She turned the knob and the faucet came on as she began to rinse out the sink and her mouth. By this point, Eric had released her hair and taken a few steps back to give her some space, he knew that he had crossed a line that she felt had to be laid. Someone running to her aid was something Calleigh had always hated and Eric had known that about her since they first became colleagues, Calleigh was simply too independent for her own good. But the same could be said about Eric, only by the means of his protectiveness, it was simply a knee-jerk reaction to help those who needed him, especially in regards to the woman he loved.

However, this wasn't the usual situation of him getting a call alerting him that Calleigh was hurt or ill and he'd rush over immediately as he had done back in April when he flew from Tampa to see her, this was something much more complicated. Normally, Calleigh would be a little annoyed at his protectiveness, but ultimately appreciate how caring he was and allowed him to comfort her through her ordeal. This time, Calleigh wasn't willing to accept neither his protectiveness nor his comfort. Eric fully understood Calleigh's motives behind her choices and partially agreed with her to some extend, but, though he would never admit it to her, her distance and isolation from him wounded Eric.

Calleigh slowly turned to face Eric, a protective hand rested lightly over her stomach and color was slowly returning to her pasty cheeks. For a moment, Eric took in the image of Calleigh to dedicate it to memory. From the hand on her belly to the light perspiration that had formed on her head, every aspect of her was beautiful though he was certain she would deny it if he were to make the comment. Once again, the reality hit him that this truly going to happen, he and Calleigh were going to have this baby and, despite the awkwardness between the two, this baby was theirs and nothing could change that. The aspect made the adrenaline rush through Eric's veins and he had to fight back the urge to take Calleigh within his arms.

"Are you okay?" Eric asked, softly.

Calleigh looked up; her face was hard and would have appeared devoid of emotion completely had her eyes not portrayed the light pain she was trying to conceal.

"No, I'm not," Calleigh sighed, flatly, as she walked out of the kitchen and back towards her front door.

Eric, slightly taken aback by the indifference of her statement and sudden exit, followed her towards her destination. She didn't look at him as she opened the door. He understood that he had overstayed his welcome and stepped over the threshold so he was no longer inside her house.

In this situation the wisest thing to do would probably have been to tell her goodbye and that be the end of it, but there was the wisest thing and then there was the right thing. Eric couldn't just leave without being completely sure that she would be okay until he saw her again.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Eric asked, deeply concerned, not just for her, but as well as their unborn child.

Something within Calleigh combusted unexpectedly. All the tolerance she had had was tarnished and she had reached the end of her seemingly long rope.

"Eric," Calleigh sighed in frustration, letting her face fall into her hands before hastily running them through her hair. "Please, don't do this."

"Ask if you are okay?" Eric questioned, slightly appalled by her sudden anger. He could understand that she was frustrated, but her tone cut him to the quick.

"Yes. Well, not exactly, just stop being so—so helpful. Please, I can't handle it. I can't handle _this,_" Calleigh explained, or at least attempted to with very vague details. "Listen, Eric," Calleigh breathed. "This is very sweet of you, I mean that. But we both know that the only reason we have been talking so much lately, is because I'm…because I'm pregnant."

"Cal, that's not true," Eric insisted.

"Yes, it is," Calleigh corrected him, forcibly. "I mean after we decided to take a break a few months back we've spoken…what, three maybe four times on things that _weren't _related to work, those conversations lasting all of five minutes, if that. But I tell you that I'm pregnant and suddenly we're talking over eight times a day."

To Eric's ears, Calleigh realized that this could have sounded as though talking to him was an annoyance, when in fact it was the opposite. She would have loved talking to him at the rate they were talking nowadays had the conversations been brought on by a different motive.

"Well, I'm sorry I'm worried," Eric apologized, but his voice was sardonic.

"Eric, be worried for me if you want, be worried for the baby, but, Eric, I'm a grown woman and I know how to take care of us," Calleigh insisted. "At least for now, I do."

"I never said you didn't," Eric pointed out. "But how can you expect me _not _to care and show. You didn't make this baby by yourself, Calleigh."

"And I'm glad you're so concerned about him…or her," Calleigh amended. " And I promise that I'll call you whenever I have an appointment. You can be in the delivery room, if you want to come with me to those Lamaze classes if I decide to take them, fine. But at other times, Eric, please don't do this. Please, just go home," Calleigh whispered, her voice wavering as her heart slowly separated and she slowly began to close the door.

"Calleigh," Eric protested, softly, as he put his hand on the partly closed door to meet her eyes a final time.

"Eric, please, go home," Calleigh choked out, looking down at the threshold so he wouldn't see her tears.

She felt Eric hesitate and exhale heavily as the pressure blocking the door vanished when he removed his hand.

"I'm sorry, Eric," Calleigh breathed as she leaned against the door, hands folded over her belly and tears threatening to spill over. The droplets of water never fell down her cheeks, instead they carried over until the next day along with the pain sitting on her heart, completely saturated with guilt and hurt. She realized what she did, what she was doing, was unfair to Eric and that she was hurting him with every nonchalant word she said to him. She this wasn't fair on him, being angry at him for trying to be a good man and a good father for his unborn child, but her morals still stood their ground and made her too stubborn for her own good.

She walked into AV the next morning, mind set on talking to Eric for a minute to try and apologize. He and Dave were going through what appeared to be numerous patrons of certain people who attended a benefit that had shifted into a crime scene.

"Hey, Calleigh," Dave smiled at her before turning his attention back to the computer screen; Eric all but ignored her, sending another blow to Calleigh's heart as she approached the surface computer.

"Dave, could you give us a few minutes, please?" Calleigh whispered to him.

He looked down at her a baffled look, very rarely was he asked to leave his sanctuary that was the AV lab, but he nodded anyway.

"Sure, I'll be back in a few," Dave said, leaving the two alone in the lab.

Calleigh came and stood beside Eric at a respectful distance and, for a moment, they didn't speak, the only sounds created being the beeping of the surface computer.

"Eric, about what I said last night," Calleigh sighed, breaking the silence. "It wasn't fair of me to say that, worse than that, it was rude. I know that you're just concerned and I need to respect that, I'm sorry. But I'll understand if you're still angry with me."

"I'm not mad at you," Eric shook his head, eyes focusing on the work in front of him; he had yet to look at her.

"Yes, you are," Calleigh disagreed. "I know when you're angry with me and you have every right to be. But do you see where I'm coming from?"

Eric's fingers paused on the table top in front of him, merely setting his palms on the smooth surface, eyes traveling to her.

"I do. And _I'm _sorry that I've been a bit over protective lately," Eric apologized, turning his body completely towards her. "But this isn't easy for me to handle, Calleigh. I don't like the fact that I'm at home on my couch, doing nothing, while you are probably feeling like hell and vomiting. In all honesty, Calleigh, I wouldn't mind trying to talk this over and work things out."

There they were, the words that were as good as a signature on a death warrant in Calleigh's eyes.

"Eric, you know why that's a bad idea," Calleigh sighed.

"I know why _you _think it's a bad idea. But what if I think we still have a chance?" Eric demanded.

"Now do you honestly believe that or are you saying that for the sake of a happy family?" Calleigh asked, crossing her arms, a sign of an emotional defense tactic.

"Calleigh, I've been thinking that since the first night I spent alone," Eric promised.

Calleigh was taken aback by his statement and saw that he truly believed every word he was saying. A strong part of Calleigh wanted to believe love was enough to surpass the trying times, but that wish had left her heart broken time and again and, this time, Eric and Calleigh's hearts weren't the only ones that could be broken.

"Well, if we're so right for each other, why are we in this situation? Why are we leaving in separate houses and taking a break, Eric?"

Eric shook his head, mechanically, wishing he had the answer for that very question in which they were both pondering.

"I don't know."

* * *

There will be a final chapter (coming soon to a PC/Mac near you;))


	3. Chapter 3

There was something special, calming, about working late in Firearms. Aside from the occasional nightshift CSI coming in and out, Calleigh would be the only one working in the lab, closing the cases she had fallen behind on, the events of the last few days having taken their toll.

But now she was comparing a test-fired round from a nine-millimeter confiscated from a suspect to one found at the scene, grateful for the distraction of her job. Had she not been committing these few hours to work, she knew where she would have found herself; she would have been in bed, her mind consumed by Eric and their discussion from earlier.

Calleigh sighed in frustration after comparing the two bullets under her scope; they had different striations, breaking the only lead she had for this case. As she mildly cursed under her breath, she heard the sound of the door to the lab open and close again. Calleigh looked up, expecting to see a nightshift, only to see someone of ample more importance within the lab, making her heart drown with pain, she had wanted to stay late to escape from Eric and now that plan had been thrown in reverse.

"You're here late," Calleigh commented, drawing her attention away from him and onto adjusting the diaphragm on the microscope to remove the bullets.

"I needed to talk to you," Eric whispered, he was standing so close to her that his breath was tickling her ear lobe.

"Eric-." Calleigh began to say as she faced him, but her statement was halted by his two lips touching hers.

She tried to stop herself from enjoying the feel of his warm lips caressing hers and how soft they were, something she had missed for a long time. But her longing for him surpassed her will to stay strong and she put a bit of power behind her own lips to kiss him back.

Calleigh felt Eric's palm cup around the side of her face, his other arm wrapping around her waist and his hand pressed into the small of her back to hold her closer. Her lips parted for oxygen, the fresh air bringing her back to her proper state of mind. She pulled away from him; his hands still held her despite the fact the kiss had ended.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't feel a single thing and I'll go away," Eric dared her.

Calleigh sighed, shaking her head. "That's not fair."

Eric dropped his hands, clearly satisfied with her answer. For a moment, he had truly thought Calleigh had forgotten everything they had ever endured or felt; the acceptance of that thought would have felt to be the equivalent of an execution. But looking into Calleigh's eyes now, he saw something familiar, something wanting; the same abiding love her green eyes now glowed with was the mirror image of what he saw in his own ever since their separation.

"I know how you feel about me. And I…" Calleigh took a deep breath, realizing that the statement she was about to make wouldn't be one she would be able to take back once it escaped her lips. "I still have the same feelings for you. We may still love each other, but that's not the problem. If what we feel for each other couldn't stop us from separating, what will?"

"Calleigh, I know where you are coming from on this, okay, I really do. But I love you, too," he said without shame. "We love each other and we both love the baby, isn't that enough to warrant trying again?"

She nibbled on her lower lip as she turned back to her work, trying to reorganize her brain enough to think clearly; the adrenaline from the unexpected kiss was still fresh in her mind. But she didn't need to feel his lips again to remind her how much she loved him, though she couldn't deny that it was pleasurable. Every night for weeks she had lain awake thinking about the man who used to lie in bed beside of her and how much she still loved him, how she still wanted to be with him and have this baby with him. Though Calleigh was certain she didn't fantasize about the future as much as Eric had when they were together, she could sometimes see what their future would be like from his perspective. Which normally included children running around and them growing old together with some kind of happily ever after ending. When she laid awake at night now and think about how beautiful the image was and how some people were lucky enough to have that. When Eric held her, her mind would occasionally let itself believe that she could potentially be one of those people. But now reality was sinking in, almost to punish her for letting her imagination take rein; for her, happily ever after endings only happened in fairy tales.

"Fine, Eric, let's be hypothetical for a second," Calleigh suggested, resealing in evidence in their envelopes. "What if I said we try to make this work and that we can raise this baby together? Sure, maybe for awhile we'll be happy, we may even stay happy and live happily ever after, but what if that doesn't happen? What if we are happy until another problem arises and we think it'd be best to take another break? I just think it would be selfish of us to get back together, just for us to separate again," Calleigh stated. "It wouldn't be fair on you, on me," she reached up to tenderly touch her stomach, "or the baby," Calleigh added, her voice breaking.

"And sending him or her back and forth her whole life is better?"

His statement slammed Calleigh, painfully. He was right; the baby would have to be at one house or the other. Not only would that be challenging to their baby to never truly know where home was, but she and Eric would feel pain and regret for not being with their child every second of everyday when he/she was so young. The idea of being away from the baby now for Calleigh, even before she had the chance to meet her son/daughter, caused her heartache. And if she was hurting now by the idea of being away from her baby, she didn't even want to _think _about how much agony she would be when the baby was away from her to be with Eric.

"Besides," he sighed. "What makes you think we will separate again?"

"We've had that discussion," Calleigh reminded him. "And if you expect me to believe that 'love will be enough', I'll be the first to point out that it hasn't worked that way so far."

"There have been other factors in the equation other than us, Cal," he pointed out.

"Fine, so what do we do?" Calleigh demanded. "How can you guarantee that we won't end in disaster?"

"We can try taking it slow," Eric suggested.

In theory, the possibility of taking it slow could have potentially worked. Taking their time to build back up to their original relationship would give them stability, give them time to smooth out any small problems that could mount to bigger problems in the future. Then maybe, in time, they would be able to move into a loving relationship that had the promise of never crumbling. But theory and practice could be about as different as night and day, a contrast so great that Calleigh had doubts that taking anything slowly would be beneficial, although she wished with all of her heart it could be.

"And what if that doesn't work?" she asked, her voice tight as she crossed her arms.

"Can we at least try? Maybe get something to eat sometime?"

"Eric, I don't know-."

"Calleigh," Eric whispered, placing her hands on her bent elbows. "What could it hurt to try?"

* * *

Mostly due to all of the encouraging reviews you seriously awesome readers gave (thank you!), I've decided to not make this the last chapter (I wouldn't end a full story on a cliffhanger). But there will be the next chapter and then an epilogue.

I apologize for the short length of this chapter; the next two will be longer.

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

The way Calleigh saw it, she had two options: she could try to have a family or she could throw in the towel completely. Option one may have included possibly hurting herself, Eric and their child, the second option would _definitely_ hurt all of them.

Though Calleigh hadn't truly let Eric think it, she was in favor of wanting to have a family with him and wanted to work things out.

She agreed to meeting Eric for dinner at the small restaurant, if he were to pick her up it would have appeared to be a date, a level they weren't at. She made an effort to not think of this as a date; instead just two people trying to fine-tune some issues over a meal.

When Calleigh arrived home, she took a quick shower, blow-dried her hair and somewhat hurried to get ready; she was surprised herself by being slightly nervous. She tried to convert the nerves into something productive and tried rummaging through her closet, looking for something appropriate that would fit her. She and Eric had been to the restaurant before, often enough for her to remember that it wasn't a coat and tie place, however jeans and T-shirts probably wouldn't be suitable.

She grabbed a pair of black dress pants and the white blouse she had in her line of sight, hoping the match would be dull enough for Eric not to comment. But her plan was foiled when she stood in front of the mirror and pulled on the pants, which slid up her legs with ease, but the problem occurred when she tried adjusting them around her waist, but they were too tight around her to be comfortable.

She grumbled in frustration and slid the pants off, tossing them on the bed before turning back to the mirror. She looked at her reflection, seeing nothing but a blonde woman in her undergarments. She turned to the side and, though it was still fairly small, there was a definite swell starting to form; she could feel the distinct rise as she ran her hand over the skin.

There was something enchanting about knowing there was something that was part her and, more importantly, part Eric was growing within her. Aside from wanting Eric and hers relationship to heal because she still loved him and missed him terribly, she was also praying that this could work out for the being not far from her fingertips.

When she learned of her pregnancy, the first thing that came to her mind was her broken family and how she didn't want her child to have her experience, making her instinctively push Eric further away. But now that the initial shock and she allowed herself to look at this from a different perspective, she tried to think of this Eric's way. He had had a strong family background, a family that was still tight-knit and happy, something Calleigh thought, before she met Eric, only existed in the families seen on TV-Land. And, though Calleigh knew it would be difficult at times, maybe with Eric they could have that same type of family; she sincerely hoped so as she lovingly rubbed the bump.

"I hope this works out," Calleigh admitted to the baby. "You deserve to have a dad as great as he would be."

* * *

"You look beautiful," Eric smiled at her as she climbed out of her car and walked towards him outside of the restaurant. Calleigh's heart sunk at the compliment, this was starting off much more romantic than she had hoped.

"So I haven't gotten too fat yet?" she asked, jokingly, trying to use humor to sway the romance, only to realize it came out flirtatious.

Eric chuckled at the jab she made at her pregnant self as they walked towards the door entering the restaurant. Eric chivalrously held the door open for Calleigh, something she dipped her head in appreciation at as they stepped into the brightly lit building. All the usual suspects were in attendance that night, mostly couples, who stared at each other with immense affection, sat at the tables, while the groups of unisex friends sat at the bar or the booths in the back.

The hostess showed them to an open table for two beside the window. She, with a very artificial smile, gave them two menus and promised that a waitress would be over soon to get their orders.

Calleigh skimmed the menu, knowing the meal wanted to order, but she didn't want to look at Eric until she could think of something to say. She couldn't help but think that it was odd that the man she could once talk to about anything was the same man she now couldn't strike up a conversation with.

"Calleigh, can I ask you a question?" Eric asked, breaking the unbearable silence.

"Yeah, of course," she said, looking up at him.

"What made you change your mind? You know, about giving us another chance?"

Calleigh looked out the window, deep in thought, wanting to know the exact answer to that question herself.

"I'm not sure. But I think part of it is because we have passed the point where we can be just friends, I think being friends again is impossible.

Eric nodded in agreement; he almost looked relieved that she had come to the same realization.

"And since we clearly still have feelings for one another and we are having a baby, it's probably in the best interest, for all of us, that we try and work things out," Calleigh stated.

"But what happened to your fear of something going wrong between us and he or she being the one to pay for it?" Eric asked, curiously.

"You pointed out that him-."

"Or her," Eric pointed out, jokingly, to lighten the mood.

"Or her," she chuckled in agreement before converting her tone back to serious. "Being handed back and forth probably wasn't in anyone's best interest," Calleigh admitted. "At least if we try and fail, we'll know that we tried. Who knows, if we try to take it slow, maybe we won't fail."

Eric's eyes seemed to brighten at the idea, even more so that the optimistic comment had come from Calleigh. Him hearing her say that was like seeing the light and the stairway to Heaven, she wouldn't have said they had a chance if she truly felt they didn't.

"It's kind of a shame," Calleigh sighed, glancing out the window, seeing their reflections in the glass and how to anyone in the street they appeared to be a couple having dinner; she wished their assumptions were right. "We had a good thing going. If things had stayed the way they had been the only we'd be worrying about was how we're going to parents in a few months."

"How are you handling that by the way?" Eric asked, kindly.

"Um…better, I think. I'm still worried about…about becoming a mom, especially with the," she uneasily cleared her throat, "with the current circumstances," she confessed.

"You'll be a great mom, Cal," he smiled, unable to see Calleigh being anything but a wonderful mother.

Calleigh slightly grinned before letting the corners of her mouth fall, still unconvinced.

"Thanks for trying. But you'll definitely be a great dad," she added, honestly.

Eric chuckled, also seeming a tad uncertain. "I guess we'll find out."

She nodded, staring at the table, her mind puzzling. On the one hand, she loved this baby already, but on the other was the uncertainty and fear of becoming a parent, and she couldn't help but wonder if the situation would be easier to handle if she knew Eric was going to be there. Maybe if the catastrophe of their relationship ending had never occurred and Eric was still beside her whenever she woke up, would the idea of having a baby on the way be easier? Would his comfort, his reassuring words and his confidence in her have been enough to feel that she had the ability to be a good mother?

When she looked up, she saw that Eric's eyes had traveled to gaze out the window, appearing deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, her voice soft.

"About what happened between us," Eric admitted before converting his eyes back to her. "And how quickly it ended."

"It did happen pretty fast," Calleigh nodded, also remembering how it felt that one day Eric was in bed beside her and then he was gone practically the next night.

"So fast that I don't know how it happened," he admitted. "One day we were together, the next we were just friends. And, quite frankly, it didn't feel like we were even that."

"No, we weren't," Calleigh sighed, regrettably.

"I want to know if there is anything that can be done to fix what want wrong. I need to know what I did," he insisted, almost desperately.

"Maybe it was me that screwed it up," she shrugged.

" 'It's not you, it's me'?" Eric scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "Not very original, Cal."

Calleigh half chuckled, half sighed, shaking her head. "Okay, how about we say, for argument sake, there were faults on both sides."

"What would have been mine? Did it have anything to do with thing that happened with Rebecca?"

Calleigh rolled her lips at the late woman's name, for dozens of painful memories followed in its path.

"Cal?" Eric coaxed.

"Not exactly," she shook her head. "It was more like what happened when you came back to PD, you became distant with me. You hardly spoke to me at work or at home and the last time you were like that was when you left CSI."

Eric released a heavy exhale and understood, her pointing out that he left CSI was just her way of saying that he left her in the process, she just put it in her subtle way. The second he distanced himself, a red flag went up in her mind that her heart could potentially be broken once again and her walls started to form, which would take part of their demise.

"Cal, I promise, I never once thought about leaving you. It was just that Jess had died and I had just started again at the lab, there was a lot changing very fast and…" He trailed off.

"And you could have come to me to talk," she finished for him. "Eric, you always tell me that I can come to you and talk to you about _anything. _You knew that same courtesy was extended to you, but you ignored it. But that's my fault, too. I was still angry and hurt about the ASA so I didn't exactly reach out. And Jesse's death was hard on all of us and was distracting from things I probably should have been paying attention to," she admitted. "And I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too," Eric nodded, unthinkingly reaching out to take her hand.

"Yeah," she sighed, squeezing his hand.

"Is this moving too fast?" Eric wondered aloud, nodding to their intertwined hands.

"I don't think so…. Well, maybe a bit," she shrugged and they both withdrew their hands from the others hold, chuckling in spite of themselves. "But speaking of moving slowly, what do you want even if we are going to start taking it slow?" Calleigh asked.

"Well, for starters, you not to push me away every time I try to help."

Calleigh looked at the table, guiltily. She knew Eric missed the Calleigh that allowed herself to cry in front of him, to let him hold her in a moment of weakness and who wasn't afraid confide in him. If she were to be honest with herself, she also missed that Calleigh, for that Calleigh had never felt stronger or more at peace with herself than when Eric held her in his arms, letting her accept the comfort he provided.

"I know I can be overprotective, but that's because I love you and I love this baby and I want to help," Eric explained.

Calleigh nodded. "I know and I'm sorry…. If it weren't for those stupid defense instincts of mine we'd probably wouldn't be like this."

His eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if I hadn't blocked you out the second you distanced yourself, maybe everything would have worked itself out and we'd be home, the only thing on our minds being this baby," she sighed, sadly.

Unthinkingly, he reached up to softly stoke her cheek with his knuckles. Calleigh, instead of pulling away like she would have done earlier, she leaned into his touch.

"That's not true," he insisted as she placed her hand over his.

"You're sweet," she grinned. "I disagree, but you're still sweet."

Eric chuckled and lowered their hands.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"I guess we start over and try to build our way back up," he shrugged.

"We build up slowly."

"Yeah, nice and slow," Eric nodded, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze.

A genuine smile graced Calleigh's lips and, like so many times in the past, it took her breath away.

"I'd love that," she whispered as the waitress came over towards them.

* * *

"Thanks for coming tonight," Eric said as they left the restaurant.

"Thank you for talking me into it," she grinned as they stepped onto the sidewalk. "You were right, this helped a lot."

"Did you just admit that I'm right?" he asked in mock disbelief.

Calleigh playfully rolled her eyes. "Don't get too used to it."

"I'll just cherish this moment then," he shrugged. "For more than that reason."

The glow of the lights from the restaurant and the street lamps brought out the creaminess of Calleigh's skin and how much it illuminated when she smiled, her eyes glistening like emeralds in the light.

"I think I will, too…um, I have my next doctor's appointment on Thursday. Do you want to come and then probably get a bite to eat afterwards?" she asked.

"Sounds good to me," he nodded, his heart soaring that Calleigh had offered him the invitation. They had already long decided that Eric would be at the prenatal appointment, but the fact she asked him to come as well as get lunch afterwards was a miracle considering this time yesterday Calleigh barely looked at him. "What time?"

"Twelve-thirty," she said, taking a step back in the direction of her car, Eric simultaneously copying her movement, his car parked on the opposite side of the building.

"Got it," he nodded. "I'll call you."

"Great," she grinned, yards between them now. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he replied as they turned their backs on one another and headed towards their vehicles, but that was before a thought crept into Calleigh's mind.

"Eric," she called over her shoulder. Eric paused and turned back to her as she took a few slow, hesitant, steps toward him. "You once told me that you'd have children when you found the right girl. What were you looking for in this girl?"

He chuckled as he made his way back over to Calleigh, closing the distance in a few strides.

"She is smart, tough as nails, she makes me smile. She's…" Eric searched his brain for a single adjective. "She's perfect."

"Nobody's perfect," Calleigh pointed out, shaking her head a little.

"Someone once told me that when you love someone, you also love their flaws, and that will make the person you love perfect."

"What are her flaws?"

"She's stubborn, feisty at times and she can be too strong. She's stronger than I am."

"I doubt that," she mumbled. "Do you think you'll ever find her?"

Eric nodded. "I already have."

Calleigh's heart skipped a beat at the words she had longed to hear from Eric. In the back of her mind, the one thing she had wanted to know this whole time was whether or not he truly wanted her to be the mother of his child, something he often implied but never spoke in true words.

"Well, that's a coincidence," Calleigh chuckled, placing her hands on his hips. "Because I found the right guy."

She willingly put her lips against his, the feeling of peace sweeping through her. They may have had to repair what they had lost first, but they would be together again. Calleigh had the pleasant feeling this was the first of many more kisses that would be shared.

Their lips finally separated and they grinned at each other, silently making a vow to one another to not let their plan be foiled and take this relationship slowly, with the exception of that one kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered.

"See you tomorrow," Eric nodded as they once again took a few steps back toward their cars, the promise of tomorrow in sight.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the reviews! Here is the final installment of this story. I'm sorry this is two weeks later than I told some it would be.

The relationship may have moved a little fast, but I felt this story was coming to a close and it was either end it happy or sad…. I voted happy!

* * *

_Four months later…_

Things weren't normal, things weren't perfect; nothing in life was. But Calleigh was genuinely happy, even though the way she was living wasn't the way of life many preached.

The morning after their conversation and kiss at the restaurant, the road they began traveling had become a long one they approached at a slow pace—as they had agreed. They started with only seeing each other at work and Calleigh's doctor's appointments, plus the seldom lunch date. Eventually, after many more long weeks and longer conversations did they once again feel it was an appropriate time to start declaring that they were in a relationship. They slowly escalated once that lie had been crossed. Their lunch dates became dinner dates and the dinner dates would eventually lead to the two relaxing in each others arms, affection and touching becoming more common than when they first tried their relationship again; all the while, matching pace with a turtle.

By this point, their relationship had grown stronger, more honest and more open. They weren't living together, but Eric had been spending more and more nights at her house. Occasionally, he would return to his condo, but those nights ran painstakingly slow—for both of them.

As they grew closer over time, so did the size of Calleigh's belly. Her pregnancy progressed smoothly and herself and the baby—who they had found out as of two weeks ago was a girl—were perfectly healthy. As time went by and the situation with Eric began to work itself out, the idea of the baby coming was a pleasant thought. Though she still had moments of self-doubt, they were definitely scarcer and she was getting more excited about the baby's arrival in a few months, as was Eric.

Unfortunately, with the distractions of work and the two of them attempting to rebuild their relationship, they had fallen a bit behind as far as getting ready for the baby. They had the crib, the changing table, etc. but not been able to assemble everything and move it into the nursery. The nursery hadn't even been empty until a few weeks ago…actually, it hadn't even been a nursery at that point; instead, it was a guest room that had transformed into more of a storage room over the years. Eric and Calleigh had spent a majority of an afternoon packing everything into boxes and removing everything from the room, Eric not letting Calleigh pick anything up the entire time.

Sunday was now the day and Eric was over, painting the nursery walls while Calleigh was in the kitchen, sitting at the island as she read the paper. She had attempted to help Eric cover the beige walls with a white first coat, but no sooner had she grabbed the paint brush did Eric practically kick her out of the room.

"You shouldn't be inhaling the fumes," he had said for his excuse, being overprotective as usual. Not too long ago, it had been that same protective streak that used to annoy the living daylights out of her. But he had been trying not to be too over protective the last few months, his way of showing he was putting forth the effort to heal their relationship. However, when it came to the safety to their daughter, as far as Calleigh was concerned, Eric could be as protective as he wanted.

Thus, Calleigh read over the front page of the newspaper, reading about yet another dilemma occurring in Washington, D.C, not truly absorbing what was printed on the page, her mind was preoccupied. She was thinking through the last few months and all that had occurred between them. She thought about the nights she and Eric spent together, the lazy afternoons they had spent on the couch, the sideways glances at the lab and the list continued.

Calleigh would be lying if she said she regretted rebuilding their relationship. To be honest, she didn't regret any of the choices made over the last few months, not even their first separation. Them taking a break had had the effect they hoped it would have; it brought them closer, made their bond stronger. Now, when Calleigh counted her blessings, a smile spread across her lips. She had someone she loved, someone who loved her and a baby they both loved greatly.

The only thing she was unsure of was where to go from here. In the past when a certain stage seemed perfect, they knew where to proceed to next; the next step up had always seemed clear, now there weren't any gut feelings or street signs directing them. There were certainly options available, the difficulty came when trying to decide which to take, the path was no longer drawn on the map, the road they had to take unclear and being in such a position gave Calleigh an uneasy feeling.

Though she was certain that she and Eric were in a good place, one mistake could be the equivalent of tugging that thread on a sweater that if pulled hard enough, it could slowly unravel. She couldn't experience losing him for a third time, it would kill her and the result of that would be a bad relationship with her baby girl, neither of which she was wanting to endure.

The thoughts ran over and over in her mind multiple times as the minutes ticked by, so quickly she didn't notice that she had been staring at the same page for over an hour. She jumped slightly when she felt a pair of warm arms snake around her from behind. Eric's hands rested on her rounded belly and she lightly leaned into him, both completely comfortable in the casualness that took them so long to reach; it just felt natural now.

Calleigh looked up to smile at the tank topped Eric, his arms had light specks of yellow paint that contrasted perfectly with his skin and a glow in his eye to match the brightness of the color.

"How's the room coming?" Calleigh asked, a grin coming to her own face at her boyfriend's happiness.

"Good, I've got the first coat on two of the walls done," he said, his heart skipping a beat and the smile grew on his lips as he felt a few light kicks struck his hand. "I just came to see how you were feeling."

Calleigh playfully rolled her eyes. "That's the tenth time you've checked on me all day."

"Sorry, I worry," he shrugged, though his voice was apologetic.

"I know, and I'm sure one day I'll get over it." She gave him a small wink to assure him she was just teasing. His protectiveness was actually something about him she found attractive—not that she would ever admit that to his face. "Don't worry, she's fine. She keeps bouncing around," Calleigh grinned, reaching up to run her hand between Eric's.

"And how about you?" Eric asked.

"Fantastic," she smiled, moving her hand over his and resting her fingers in the gaps of his.

When Calleigh turned her head to look up at Eric, his lips were mere inches from her own. Their eyes met and they simultaneously leaned into one another to share a kiss.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Calleigh asked. When the words escaped her lips, Eric's eyes lit up immensely. Her inviting him to stay for dinner was normally her way of saying he could stay the night, a signal they had used constantly throughout the months.

"I'd love to," Eric smiled. "I'd better go finish the room."

"Well, get to it," Calleigh smirked, playfully, turning around to face him.

"Okay, I love you," he said as he put his lips to hers. When their lips separated Eric leaned down so his head was level with her belly. "And I love you," he whispered before pressing his lips to the fabric of her shirt.

* * *

By the time they had finished dinner, Eric had successfully painted the nursery the soft yellow and the two were relaxing on the couch as they normally did this time of night. Calleigh was leaning into Eric's chest, his hands cupping around her belly and his thumb gently brushing against it.

Calleigh continued to think about the next move to make, being so lost and confused tormented her. She couldn't find the right way, despite she thought about it most of the day and throughout dinner. But she was still as lost as she had been at the beginning of the day.

She felt a pair of soft lips gently touch the top of her head. She turned her head in his direction and smiled up at him.

"You've been quiet tonight, are you okay?" Eric asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking."

"About what?" Eric attempted to coax her to continue.

Though she had been telling him more and been opening up slowly, she still wasn't completely always telling him all of her troubles, but Eric was patient.

"Um," she hesitated, her finger unthinkingly drawing circles on her belly. "It's difficult to explain, but…basically I'm confused. About us."

Eric's heart plunged and he suddenly felt nauseous. He had been so certain that everything had been improving, that they were closer and that everything that was once hell had been repaired. But hearing her say those words sent a wave of fear through him and that everything he was holding close to his heart was being ripped away.

Calleigh had felt him tense up and she saw the fear in his eyes; it didn't take her too long to realize how he had interpreted her words.

She laughed lightly and stretched up to put her lips to his, breaking his trance.

"Don't worry," she whispered, twining her fingers through his. "What we have now isn't the problem."

Eric let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "You scared me there."

"Sorry," she grinned. "What I meant was I'm worried about what's coming next…for us."

"What do you mean?" he asked, slightly confused.

"I mean that I'm lost about where we go from here. I mean, we're back to how we were last year. You aren't exactly living here, but you're here more than at your own house. We talk about everything, we trust each other and we're happy." Calleigh turned to Eric. "You are happy, right?"

"Very," he smiled. "Are you?"

"Yes, I am. We're back to normal."

"Is that a bad thing?" Eric asked.

"No, I like being back to normal. But what if we never get passed this stage? We've never been passed this level and we don't know where to move from here. Does that make sense?" she questioned.

Eric nodded in understanding and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. "You don't know where to go from here and because this is all you've known and you're worried that we won't know where or when to take the next step."

"And that if our next move is a bad one then everything will be undone," she admitted. "I mean, everything until this point has been clear and now…"

"Well, maybe there doesn't have to be a next step. Not right now, anyway. Maybe we should see how we do as parents and then we'll know what to do."

"Maybe," she sighed. "But if we still don't know what to do in a year from now?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. All of us," he promised.

Calleigh nodded and grinned up at him. "Sounds good."

"Now can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," she joked. "But you can ask another."

"Be honest. Where do you see us in five or ten years from now?"

"Um…well," Calleigh thought aloud. "Hopefully, we're all happy, healthy and safe. That we're still together and still being honest."

"Is marriage an option? In the future," Eric added quickly.

"Yes," Calleigh nodded. "Absolutely, when we're both ready."

"Well, I think we just found something to build up to," Eric said, gently nuzzling her hair.

With those words, Calleigh felt all the weight she had resting on her mind uplifted, all the stress vanished and the path for their future once again clear.

As for Eric, he was just pleased that in Calleigh's mind marriage could be something they would be able to build towards in the future. Not too long ago, he knew that if he had brought up the possibility of marriage, she would have been completely against it. He realized there wouldn't be a ring on either of their fingers for a long time, but he was all right with that; she was always worth the wait.

Eric pressed his lips to her temple, curious as to whether or not their conversation had resolved anything that had been on her mind. "How're you doing now?"

"Better," she assured him. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's just hormones," she shrugged a shoulder.

Eric laughed. "Just hormones, huh?"

"I'm pregnant, it happens," she shrugged, jokingly. "Why, do they annoy you?"

"No," he answered, honestly. "I actually think you're kind of adorable when you become hormonal."

Calleigh gawked at him in utter surprise. "Only you would say something like that."

Eric playfully rolled his eyes and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "That's because I love you and I love her," he said as he tenderly rubbed her belly.

Calleigh turned towards him and gave him a soft smile, touched by his words despite the fact they had been teasing one another mere seconds ago.

"We love you, too," she whispered.

Things may have not been normal, things may not have been perfect. But the two had absolutely no doubt in the future they potentially would be. They would have their daughter, they would have a family and all that jazz.


End file.
